There are several instances in which it is desirable to disable an occupant protection device of a vehicle, such as an air bag. It may be desirable to disable an air bag, for example, when a vehicle occupant is improperly positioned in the vehicle or when a rear facing child seat is positioned adjacent the air bag. One approach utilizes a vehicle key to actuate an air bag control switch. The control switch causes the air bag to be enabled or disabled depending upon the actuation condition of the control switch.